the border post from Morocco — rushed the territory, local officials said on Sunday. Government delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, confirmed the figure to reporters, raising the previous death toll from 67. Most of the estimated 60,000 people who entered Spain's North African territory have since returned voluntarily to Morocco, marking the enclave's largest-ever mass migration crossing. By Sunday, Spanish police and troops patrolled Ceuta's streets as the enclave returned to normal. Only small groups of migrants remained, with most of those who crossed the border barrier returning to Morocco within 48 hours. The sudden influx has triggered an international crisis for Spain, drawing criticism from European partners over its immigration policies.

At a housing project near Ceuta's port, soldiers detained a group of nine exhausted migrants guarded by troops with an armoured car. Rescue units searched the waters around the border barrier extending into the Mediterranean, now reinforced with a new 500-metre floating boom. Civil Guards escorted other migrants from a bus back toward the border post, while the crossing itself was calm amid cleanup efforts of discarded clothes and rubbish.

Spain has blamed criminal gangs for spreading rumours that a recent Supreme Court ruling on immigration would ease migrants' passage. Some analysts suggested Morocco may have deliberately relaxed border controls to pressure Spain diplomatically, given Madrid's recent improvements in ties with Algeria, Rabat's rival. In 2021, roughly 10,000 migrants had crossed into Ceuta amid similar pressure tactics. Moroccan officials have so far remained silent, though some migrants said they had heard the border was open — a rumour amplified on social media. The EU scheduled a video call for Tuesday after 22 member states issued an open letter demanding an urgent meeting to coordinate a response and prevent further crossings. Italy suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain on Saturday, imposing a one-month border control measure. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez responded with a letter to EU leaders denouncing the "selfish" reaction of some member countries. (Bssnews)